Feedback: “Loyalty”
In the journey of writing one’s first book, receiving feedback on that work, is a worrisome time. There is apprehension in passing your “baby” off for scrutiny. The book, so close to you, for so long and because you are so biased in its favour, you ponder. How will others receive it? Will the voluntary readers politely trash the effort that has taken four years, leaving me feel like this effort has been waste of time, or will they like it? Better yet, will they really like it?
I asked seven very knowledgeable readers, authors and history professionals to review “Loyalty”.
The results. The positive comments were more than I had hoped for. Those comments included: a pager turner, sweeping saga, cared deeply for the protagonists, cried at Isaac’s death, wonderful telling of history through the characters, saw the movie as I read …
I am grateful.
“Loyalty is not yet published. In order to get a higher profile to catch the attention of potential publishers and agents, I am conducting a campaign to collect fans of the book and supporters of the story.
Below are the comments from the readers in their own words.
I really liked this book a lot and I learned many new things about Canadian history from it. In particular I found the adventures of Sarah quite fascinating – how restrictive her life was at the beginning of the story, how she had a mind of her own and marrried against the wishes of her father and her courage and perseverance at living in the military environment and then coming to North America. Even though I have a background in Ontario heritage architecture, there were a number of things that I was totally unaware of including the affect of military life on the family, the impact on the British during the American Civil War and the precarious nature of living on a farm near Kingston with the threat of bandits lurking around. Now when I see an Ontario farmhouse, the first thing I think of is – if I was living here with my family, how would I defend them from bandits? This book was informative and a pleasure to read. I think it is a great book to read in honour of the Canadian 150th birthday in 2017.
“Loyalty” is one of those books that you can’t put down because you really want to know what’s going to happen next. Then when you have finished, you are sad because you want to know more and miss the characters you have gotten to know. I really appreciated the attention to detail and accurate descriptions of life both in Ireland and Upper Canada. Sarah was a remarkable woman. From eloping with Isaac against the wishes of her authoritarian father to eventually protecting her family from a pirate attack in Upper Canada, Sarah’s courage and devotion are always on display. “Loyalty” is an enjoyable read that brings Canadian history to life.
I enjoyed reading Al Seymour’s book “Loyalty” immensely. It tells a remarkable story filled with equally remarkable people. In the midst of revolutionary events in British North America, we follow the path of a loyal family committed to the British cause as it made its way through what would become the United States to Upper Canada. I read the book in four hours in two sittings. It is certainly a page-turner! It’s central characters kept my interest from start to finish. The way the author connects them to real people in his family’s history is an added bonus. “Loyalty” is a very good read!
Loyalty is a novel with strong characters and a captivating plot into which is woven extensive and facinating Canadian history. The main character, Sarah, undergoes much hardship, marrying for love. Her strong character shines though as the family grows and circumstance forces them to relocate and start over. The lives of these pioneers is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.